As one might imagine, my job requires that I look at and reflect on a lot of data before making most decisions.  Data tells a story about the past and whether the strategies we have implemented are having the desired impact.

One source of data that I have recently been reviewing is the "District Report Card."  The 2009 report from the Illinois State Board of Education is not yet final but I have seen preliminary data that allowed me to complete a District Report Card analysis.  The data found in this analysis tells a story about where the district has been over the past many years.  While the data provides insights into logical next steps we might take to improve our district and the services we offer students, the data will never include a definite end to our story.  In fact, there never will be an end but only a journey.  It is this journey that excites me as it is one of great hope, successes, and opportunities.

There are many arguments that can be made and debates that can occur as part of analyzing student achievement results.  In many cases, there are no right or wrong conclusions as data only tells a small part of how well students are prepared for life and whether we are successful in preparing them for high school and beyond.  Further, a review of any data source typically elicits more questions than answers but it can show us the direction we should consider.

As required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on how specific subgroups of students perform as compared to their peers across the state and within Troy.  For example, an analysis of the District Report Card shows that Troy Hispanic and Black students on average outperform Hispanic and Black students across the state.  In contrast, Troy White students perform equal to or below White students when comparisons are done with their White peers across the state.  Detailed charts related to this are included in the comprehensive analysis which can be found at http://tinyurl.com/troy2009reportcard.

As stated above, I often have more questions than answers.  With this, I offer the following conclusions and questions as a result of analyzing the data from the ISAT results and the information reported on the District Report Card.

1. On average, Troy students outperform students across the state.
2. Troy can be proud that our Hispanic and Black students outperform their counterparts when state comparisons are done.
3. Given the successes we see when analyzing how Black and Hispanic students perform in relationship to similar subgroups at the state level, are there strategies currently in place that we need to expand or at least purposefully maintain?
4. Why do Troy White students not perform as well in some areas in relationship to their White peers across the state (as reported on the State Report Card)?
5. What, if anything, should we do to address the achievement gap that is seen when comparing Troy students to Troy students?
6. Do other data sources (nationally normed tests, benchmark assessments, and grades) show similar achievement outcomes?

The Troy School District now has many systems in place which allow us to analyze student achievement results much like I have done in this article.  While this is only one data source, it is an annual source that guides our work.  The purpose of doing this work is to determine if district initiatives are having an equal impact on all student subgroups.  In the end, the Troy School District is committed to serving all students by providing equal access to all programs and services.

Some parents may have questions about this information, what the Troy School District is doing with assessments, and how our students and district are performing.  To this end, the district is scheduling an opportunity for interested parents to attend one or more Curriculum & Assessment Forums where I and other district office administrators will share information about how Troy is doing overall.  These Curriculum & Assessment Forums will begin with a short introduction and overview of our Comprehensive Assessment Framework.  The second part of the forum will be an informal discussion.  The goal of the forum is to share district level information related to how our students and the district are performing as reported on our data sources.  Here is a listing of the scheduled forums:

1. Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 1:30 p.m. at Troy Middle School in the Auditorium
2. Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 8:00 a.m. at Troy Middle School in the Auditorium
3. Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 6:30 p.m. at Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School in the Library
4. Monday, October 19, 2009 - 6:30 p.m. at Troy Craughwell Elementary School in the Library
5. Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 6:30 p.m. at Troy Crossroads Elementar School in the Library

Sincerely,

Don White, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools